SS 20,000 mile club
I have had mine since June 08 and here is the run down....
Both front struts leaked @ 4K - Replaced
Boot Gage - Replaced (flickering light)
2 tires replaced @ 8K (came apart) (Mich-Pilots)
4 tires replaced @ 14K also came apart
Rear suspension bushings replaced @ 17K
Engine runs awesome, but the suspension hasnt been the same since the blown struts... bummed out!
Both front struts leaked @ 4K - Replaced
Boot Gage - Replaced (flickering light)
2 tires replaced @ 8K (came apart) (Mich-Pilots)
4 tires replaced @ 14K also came apart
Rear suspension bushings replaced @ 17K
Engine runs awesome, but the suspension hasnt been the same since the blown struts... bummed out!
Living in the motor city is hard on the suspension parts, the roads suck bad... I don't understand the tires coming apart though, that's not good.
Pilots...
The roads in Michigan are crap, but my commute is all new highway, so the road abuse is not a factor, but this isnt a sensitive Indy Car either..
As described to me by a clerk in the service bay...
There is an underlayment in the Mich Pilots that can create flat spots if the tire wasnt molded correctly. This flat spot makes for some vibration (which I was feeling and was there to remedy) which means the belts in the tires begin to seperate over time. The problem is called Radial Force Variation...
RFV can best be explained by example. Assume a perfectly uniform tire mounted on a perfectly round wheel loaded with a constant force against a perfectly round test wheel. As the wheel turns, it turns the tire, and the tire carcass undergoes repeated deformation and recovery as it enters and exits the contact area. If we measure the radial force between the tire and the wheel we will see zero change as the tire turns. If we now test a typical production tire we will see the radial force vary as the tire turns. This variation will be induced by two primary mechanisms, variation in the thickness of the tire, and variation in the elastomeric properties of the tire.
It's VERY irritating for sure and it's still not right. Winter driving (slower speeds) it's not terrible so I'll live with it until spring and replace them @ the dealer again. OR if they get crappy with me it's getting a set of Toyo Proxes 4's on my dime.
As described to me by a clerk in the service bay...
There is an underlayment in the Mich Pilots that can create flat spots if the tire wasnt molded correctly. This flat spot makes for some vibration (which I was feeling and was there to remedy) which means the belts in the tires begin to seperate over time. The problem is called Radial Force Variation...
RFV can best be explained by example. Assume a perfectly uniform tire mounted on a perfectly round wheel loaded with a constant force against a perfectly round test wheel. As the wheel turns, it turns the tire, and the tire carcass undergoes repeated deformation and recovery as it enters and exits the contact area. If we measure the radial force between the tire and the wheel we will see zero change as the tire turns. If we now test a typical production tire we will see the radial force vary as the tire turns. This variation will be induced by two primary mechanisms, variation in the thickness of the tire, and variation in the elastomeric properties of the tire.
It's VERY irritating for sure and it's still not right. Winter driving (slower speeds) it's not terrible so I'll live with it until spring and replace them @ the dealer again. OR if they get crappy with me it's getting a set of Toyo Proxes 4's on my dime.
Im just past the 18,500+......Bought 1/15/08 only been to the dealer for two cell throws, and a slight tire leak... It has the expected nics, sm dings, and two scratches(both by my doing, argh!) I will however caution about placing a child seat in the back--the memory foam seats don't bounce back from these! really f'd the back seat up bad!


